Beaches International Jazz Festival

Each July, Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood is filled with the zigzag sounds of jazz at the Beaches International Jazz Festival. It has been a staple of Toronto summers since 1989 and spills well beyond the Kew Gardens Bandshell where it first started. Head down to Queen Street East, nearby venues and stages in area greenways like Leslie Grove, Woodbine and Jimmie Simpson parks to hear dozens of bands creating some stone grooves.

In addition to the jazz music, there’s even more Toronto glitz to check out, including drag shows, the food truck-lined StreetFest and fundraiser contests like the Tune-Up Run that benefit local nonprofits.

Come for the horn sections and stay for the breezes off Lake Ontario. It’s all very apropos for a city that produced such greats as Larnell Lewis and Morris Kaufman, and this might be your chance to see the next big thing in Canadian jazz.